Regional saints

The bhakti saints of this period came from every region, and from every part of society.

Kabir (15th century, Uttar Pradesh) was probably brought up by a weaver couple. His songs speak of one God, and criticise the empty rituals of both Hinduism and Islam. Many people loved this.

Ravidas (early 16th century) was born into a family of leather-workers. His poetry spoke of equality and the oneness of all, breaking down the rigid walls of varṇa and jāti (caste).

Guru Nanak travelled across many regions with the message of one God and the equality of all people. His teachings, along with hymns by several Hindu saints, are kept in the Guru Granth Sāhib.

There were saints everywhere:

• Mirabai in Rajasthan;
• Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the east;
• Tukaram, Dnyaneshwar and Namdev in the west;
• Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa in the south.

Kabir explained deep ideas with everyday pictures. In one dohā (couplet): when wheat is ground into flour, you can no longer tell one grain from another.

In the same way, once you realise the divine, the difference between Ram and Rahim disappears, and Kabir happily 'sits down to eat'.

A big idea about God, explained with something every home did each morning.

Purandaradasa (15th–16th century) is called the father of Carnatic music. He is said to have given up his diamond business to become a devotee of Kṛiṣhṇa, and may have composed as many as 4,75,000 kīrtanās (songs).

In Tamil Nadu, the Divya Prabandham of the Ālvārs and the Tiruvāchakam of the Nāyanārs were still recited in homes and temples.

Who kept all this alive? Rulers gave support, but, as the chapter says, "it was the participation of the people".